Water the Soil
by Angry-Orca
Summary: AU. The world has changed. Disease has ravaged all living things. However, there is a safe haven beyond the Elite Four named Celestite, a place untouched by the infection. With a team in the making, it is Alexis Birch's turn to reach Celestite. Alexis must face things she never thought she'd have to. The infected are only one obstacle. It is the humans that are far more dangerous.
1. Chapter 1: Cliffs

Alexis kept her eyes shut. She tried to think. What had happened? She was just walking on the outskirts of Littleroot Town when a panther jumped from the bushes, tackling her right to the ground and everything went black. She never saw anything like that creature. Its body was completely white furred, but its face was black. It had a fearsome horn growing from the side of its head. That was all she could gather.

Now Alexis lay on her side in the dirt. She didn't dare move, lest she be attacked again. She kept her breaths short and shallow, trying to stay unmoving. Her entire right side lay flat on the soil. She could feel the tiny shards of rock digging into her skin. When she breathed, she felt the earth enter her windpipe and scratch her from the inside.

She slit her eyes to take in at least a bit of the environment. She appeared to be in a clearing, where trees were scarce. The woman could see greenery farther off in the distance, in the corner of her eye. What made her gasp was what lay in front of her. She was able to peer straight down a fifty foot cliff. The way down was steep, littered with rocks and led right into a river.

She didn't realize how loud her gasp was. A black and white leather shoe pounded down on her cheek with incredible force. Alexis winced and yelped in pain. She struggled and writhed, but her arms and legs were bound tightly with ropes. Her face tensed up and tears began to stream down onto the ground. The shoe pressed down even harder, moving, digging her face into the soil. She received a blow to the back of the head. It could have knocked her out a second time.

The shoe stayed pressed firmly on her cheek, keeping her pinned to the ground. She looked up, turning her head as far as the shoe would let her. Through the earth and tears in her eyes, she could make out her attacker.

It was a man who had pinned her down. He put his whole weight down on her face. He was a tall man, maybe standing six feet and a little more. He wasn't even looking at her. He stared into the distance, looking at something she couldn't see. The man shook himself out of his trance and fumbled into his black and white buffalo plaid jacket for a lighter and a cigar. He lit it and clenched it between his teeth, before smoothly closing the lighter and putting it back in his pocket. He took a puff and exhaled smoke. He sighed then looked down at Alexis with his blue eyes and a smirk playing across his lips.

"Don't snap your cap, babe, it'll all be over in a sec. Now, let's get somethin' outta the way. I ain't a hit man, dig? I had a gig, then things happen, one thing leads to another, and before I know it, I'm offing a yoot," he explained, putting the cigar back in his mouth.

Alexis' eyes widened and her breathing quickened, "What the fuck are you saying?" she hissed. She looked up at him one more time. If she was to survive this, she wanted to get a good look at him so she could exact her brutal revenge. Big, curved nose, bright blue eyes, curly black hair. And he had that panther with him, the one that attacked her. It was enormous and lithe, its red eyes glowing in the darkness.

"Now, baby," the man chuckled, "I know I'm gorgeous, but you should really stop eyeballin' me like that," he blew smoke from his mouth, "Back to your first question, I'm sayin' you're gonna be noddin' off and not gettin' back up, dig?"

Alexis looked up at him again incredulously, her mouth wide open and her brow heavily furrowed, "What?!" she yelped.

The man raised his foot, and then thrust it into her face again, rubbing her face in the dirt, "You ain't never been to Mauville, eh? Shame ya never will..." he sighed.

He took his foot off her and began nudging her closer and closer to the edge of the cliff. "Sorry you had to get mixed up in this, kid..." the man said as she neared the point of no return.

"No! What the fuck are you doing, you crazy bastard?! Let me go! Let me go!" Alexis squirmed and yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Sleep tight, girlie," the man said, his words not heard under her screams. He gave her one final push and Alexis tumbled over. He looked over the cliff with his Absol, watching the girl tumble on her side down the side of the cliff.

Sharp rocks tore open Alexis' skin and crushed her bones. She kept her eyes shut as tightly as she could, screaming the whole way down. Finally opening her eyes, one final, ear-splitting shriek escaped her lips. She slammed head first into a large boulder.

She rolled lifelessly down the cliff, landing in the river's banks.


	2. Chapter 2: Gambling Someone's Life Away

"Oh my God, I can't believe it!" yelled a young woman. She was inside someone's apartment, playing cards with several cohorts. Four people surrounded the wooden table, including her, with the winnings in the middle.

"How do you frickin' manage to do this?! The game is goddamn rigged, Shell! You've won the past games for two weeks!" she yelled. She slammed her hand of cards on the table, skidded her chair backwards, shoved her hands in her pants' pockets and stormed out the door.

The three remaining players exchanged glances with each other. On one side was a brown haired, bearded man, although he appeared to be only in his early thirties. The second was the other woman, Shell, who had long, red hair that framed her pale face. Her golden hoop earrings were barely visible under that cloak of hair. She was thin and tall and wore a tight blue dress and matching high heeled shoes to emphasize her figure.

The last was a man with curly black hair, bright blue eyes and a large, curved nose. He was wearing a black and white buffalo plaid jacket, the same as he wore earlier the same night.

The bearded man got up from his seat as well, "Yeah, sorry Vincent, but it's nearly four in the morning, the wife and kids must be wondering where I'm at," he said, looking at the man in the plaid suit. Without another word, he walked out as well.

There was perfect silence in the apartment. The ceiling light flickered softly in the small dining room they were in, as its owner was too lazy to change it. The house was far from luxurious. Everything about it was small. The room always smelled strongly of expensive cigars and cologne. Under Vincent's upholstered chairs, his Absol was dozing off.

Shell began pulling the money towards her. "So, now that we're alone," she began with a grin on her face.

"Don't go gettin' any ideas. You know I'm way outta your league," he said with a smirk.

Shell's smile disappeared from her face, replaced by a frown, "How dare you even insinuate..." She hissed, and then took a deep breath, "While I could say the same for you, Vincent, you and I have more pressing matters to attend to," she tapped her fingers on the table.

"Ah, yeah, babe, no doubt. What's there to know, though?" he asked.

"What's there to know?! Vincent, for god's sake, you're skull is as thick as a Walrein's fat! How did the hit man mission go?!" she snarled.

"Alright, alright, cool it, Shell. And for the last time, I don't like being called a hit man," Vincent sighed and leaned back in his chair, and then shook his head. "You wanna hear all of it?"

"No, I want to hear a quarter of it. What do you think, Vincent?!" she bellowed.

"Don't have a cow, Shell," Vincent rolled his eyes, "So, I took the bridge from Route one 'o' three East to one 'o' three West. I was lucky the girl you wanted was headin' north, probably to get some supplies from Oldale. Then she goes to route one o' three. I dunno why, and that ain't my problem. Ol' Alice took her out no sweat," he explained, leaning over and petting his Absol on the head.

"And then what?" Shell pressed on.

"Then she was completely out cold. The punk musta hit her head real hard when she hit the ground. Hauled her over to the cliff side. Went to light my cigar and then the broad woke up. She screamed a fair bit, then I rolled 'er off the cliff. It was a fifty foot drop. No way is she still breathin'. I even stuck around afterward, she didn't move a muscle. And then I casted an eye at the routes around to see if I could snag myself some nice 'Mons. And that's all that happened."

"So, you're telling me that you had an Absol with a perfectly sharp horn and you only wanted to roll her off a cliff?" Shell scorned.

"Hey, if you want to yell at me for doin' a job you told me to do, you shoulda done it yourself!" Vincent replied, "Why'd ya want that babe done in anyhow?"

"That's strictly confidential. All you need to know is that, if you didn't kill her, you'd be kissing goodbye to all the profits... my organization is giving you. Which is honestly quite a bit," she reminded.

"Yeah, glad I got past that. All I had to do was kill a woman!" he answered.

"Oh, don't make yourself out to be some saint, Vinny. Lord knows how many people you had to bribe, trick and even kill to get yourself a gig as a casino owner. We all know how corrupt you Mauvillains are," Shell grinned mischievously.

"Mauvillains," Vincent repeated, "Must have taken ya real long to come up with that. And you know that the casino really does belong to Pops, so all the rumours sure as hell aren't about me. But honestly, 'Mauvillains?' Where'd ya get that from?"

"I thought a lot of people had a tendency to call your kind that. Maybe you just don't get out as often as you used to, Vinny," the woman's grin stayed plastered on her face.

"My kind, eh?" he said, knowing that she just called all of his friends bad people, "You should probably put an egg in your shoe and beat it, right about now. It's nearly four in the morning and it feels like I haven't slept in a week."

The woman, who had long since put away her winnings, got up from her seat, and approached the door. She grasped the handle and then turned to face Vincent once more.

"By the way, that suit is incredibly tacky. I can't believe you wore that to your little outing," she said, staring at his chequered suit. With that Shell walked out the door, slamming it behind her, despite the fact that it was four in the morning.

Her heels clacked and echoed as she walked down the hall. They became quieter and quieter until they could not be heard any longer.

Vincent, whose body had been very tense before she left, rested his back on the chair and let out a sigh of annoyance and relief, "Jesus Christ, that woman is going to kill me!" he groaned.

His Absol sat upright, coming next to him and nuzzled his hand. He ruffled his Pokémon's white fur and traced her sleek black horn with his fingers, "I honestly don't know what I'm going to do about that broad. The way she has me twisted around her finger..." Vincent nervously bit the inside of his cheek, "She got me to kill someone. Doesn't that give you the gringles, Alice?"

Alice rested her head in her trainer's lap, "Let's face it, she blackmailed you into it. I don't think anyone's gonna find out you did it," the Absol purred as her trainer rubbed her head, "You've known that woman for ten years now, and that's the first time she asked you to do something so outrageous. Not like you haven't done outrageous things before-"

Vincent snickered softly, "Hey, whose side are you on, Allie?"

"My side," the Absol growled, "It's all over now. My point is, you'll probably never have to do anything like this ever again. I don't like going so far from home. It's dangerous out," she regained her calmness and began to purr again.

"Part of me doubts that," Vincent felt a shiver in his spine and his pulse began to quicken.

His Absol must have noticed too, as she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Ya really think the babe's dead?"

"Well, of course she is, she fell off a cliff, Vinny!" the Absol assured him, "She was lying in a puddle of her own blood! We practically heard her body snap. No human could survive a thing like that."

The man nodded slowly, "Well, let's see if I can pile up Z's with that on my conscience, eh?" With that, he nudged his Absol off him, got up and went into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Alice still sat next to the table, staring intently at the door he had just disappeared behind. In both of their thirty five years of living, she never saw her trainer act so apathetic yet so worried about something.

She cocked her head, letting her horn weigh it down. She padded over into the living room and hopped up on the deep purple, velvety sofa. She laid her head on the armrest and closed her red eyes.

Despite her reassurances, the Absol was as unsure about the woman's fate as her master. She wasn't even sure whether she wanted the woman to die or not. Whether it was a blow to their morality or a blow to their profits, it was a lose-lose situation.

Alice took a deep breath before ridding her mind of anything that had to do with that night's ordeal. The two would get through it as they always did. One day at a time.


	3. Chapter 3: A Friend Indeed

A low moaning sound escaped Alexis' lips. Her eyes were kept closed.

After five minutes of heavy breathing, her eyes opened and took in the environment around her. She was in her bed, inside her room, in her home, in Littleroot Town.

Her room was very bare; all it consisted of was a bed, an end table next to it and a wardrobe. The walls were painted earthy brown, and the floor was made of wood. A large window brought sunlight into the room, something that the small lamp on the end table couldn't accomplish.

Alexis lay in her bed, covered with heavy, warm blankets. She shifted forward, trying to sit up and felt such a sharp pain in her chest that she recoiled back into her lying position and gasped.

The jolt made her aware of her sudden state. Despite the pain in her neck and torso, she forced herself to look down. Her entire torso was bandaged up. One arm was covered in gauze and the other was in a sling. She couldn't move her left leg as it was completely covered in bandages. She suddenly realized how hot, humid and claustrophobic it was in the room, most likely because of the bindings of cloth around her entire body.

She stared around for several minutes, before she realized the magnitude of what had happened. Her jaw dropped.

"I'm alive," she whimpered shakily. She looked at her room, remembering the familiarity of it and found it odd that it was now of all times that she was scared to lose it.

Despite being so constricted, she quivered with excitement, "I'm alive," she said louder. Her eyes widened and tears began to well up in her eyes. They overflowed and poured down her temples.

She felt a lump in her throat, "Dad!" She choked as loudly as she could, no matter how much it hurt her broken chest, "Dad! I'm alive! I'm okay!" Alexis cried. She had never felt as grateful for anything as she was right now.

A stomping noise echoed throughout the house. Professor Isaac Birch clambered up the staircase and into her room.

Isaac Birch was a middle aged man, about forty eight years old, although his wrinkles made him look five years older. His curly brown hair was unkempt and was flecked with grey, as was his whiskery beard. Despite his aged appearance, his green eyes seemed to have a constant glimmer in them.

He ran over to Alexis and planted a kiss on her forehead. He gingerly held her head in his hands and grinned.

"Oh, thank god," he said, "Are you feeling okay?" he let go of her face and sat on the edge of the bed. He kept his hands on his lap.

"Everything hurts. I can't move, but I'm finally awake, right?" Alexis tried to smile through the agony, "How long have I been out for?"

"A long time. Two days," Birch replied. He moved closer to her, "What the hell happened that night?"

With her heart suddenly beginning to hammer in her chest, Alexis recollected the events from the two nights before.

"Dad, I swear, I was just out getting some water from the well in Oldale-," she began.

"At eleven o' clock at night?"

"I asked you if I could go, and you said I could," Alexis replied, "Just as I turn around from filling the bucket, this huge panther tackles me to the ground. I slammed my head on the side of the well, and I was out cold!"

"That explains where one fracture came from," Birch muttered to himself.

"It doesn't even stop there!" she continued, "I woke up with my hands and feet tied together on the edge of the cliff north of Oldale. This guy and his panther were standing over-"

"A guy?! What guy?! How did he look?"

Clenching her jaw, Alexis remembered every aspect of the man vividly. "It was this really tall guy with wide shoulders in an ugly black and white chequered suit. He had a huge nose, black, curly hair, blue eyes... you want me to go on?" she grumbled, "God, he smelled like he smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. And he had that big cat with him," she looked to her father, wondering if he wanted to hear about the panther too.

Birch nodded, taking in his daughter's words. Alexis tried to remember how her attacker's Pokémon looked like. She stammered, "Well... it was really big. It had a horn coming out of the side of its head, red eyes, big paws. Looked like a mountain lion," she frowned. Wrinkling her nose, she hoped that her description was enough to go on.

"Continue, Alex, continue," Birch urged, "What did he do to you? Did he... he didn't touch you or anything like that? Because if he did, I swear to God..."

Alexis' eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She hadn't even thought of that, "Oh my God..." she whimpered, "I don't know. I...I don't think so... I still had my clothes on when I was tied up. I don't know if I had them on at the bottom of the cliff."

"He threw you off the cliff?!" Birch exclaimed.

Pain shot up Alexis' back as she attempted to nod her head. She went still once more, "Yeah, he spouted some weird-ass gibberish and pushed me right off," she finished.

While she spoke, the professor took note of every detail that came out of his daughter's mouth. He brought a hand to his chin. He sighed. He couldn't believe something like this could happen to his 'little girl'.

"Why would somebody do this to you?" he questioned.

"If I knew I'd tell you," Alexis huffed.

"Well, I'm going to try to file a police report," he declared, standing up off the bed.

"Dad, you know that the closest places with a police force are Mauville and Rustboro, right? Neither of them give a damn about people in a hick town like Littleroot," Alexis replied.

"So you think they'd just let a murderer and potential rapist walk the streets?!" Birch shouted back.

"Of course they would, it's not their people's problem!" his daughter shot back, "Hell, if the guy's got a good sum of money on him, no police force in Hoenn is gonna go after him!"

_ He was smoking a cigar, wearing a suit and had such a _glamorous_ Pokémon. I'm sure that guy's loaded,_ Alexis thought, rolling her eyes.

"It's worth a shot! I don't want a person like that going around and murdering people!" Birch said, "Don't_ you_?"

"Of course I don't! But nothing's gonna happen," Alexis voice turned into a whisper.

"We can always hope, can't we?" Birch said.

Alexis sighed, "Sure." She stared up at the ceiling and the daughter and father remained in perfect silence.

A thought suddenly crossed Alexis' mind. She couldn't believe she didn't ask earlier. "Dad?"

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"How in the hell did I get back here?"

Another large smile spread across Birch's face. He chuckled, "I'm surprised you didn't see him standing in the doorway."

"Dad, I can't bend my neck without it hurting," Alexis moaned back.

"Right. Sorry," he replied. The professor gestured towards the door, beckoning something to come in.

Alexis' brow rose. She had expected a human, or at least something like a Machamp.

Waddling over to her was a small, fat, yellow Pokémon. Its eyes were narrow. It looked like the top of its head was tied into a knot, and it had two circles on its cheeks. It wore little black mittens and had a dirty red kerchief with black and white accents around its neck. Alexis tried to remember the Pokémon's name. It was on the tip of her tongue.

"H-hi!" the little Pokémon greeted. He pressed his fists together and waddled closer. "You don't look so good. Are you gunna be alright?"

Although the Pokémon's voice was high-pitched, Alexis identified it as male. He had a southern American accent, which put a smile on the injured woman's face.

"She's going to be alright, but only after seven months of recovery," Birch informed, "Give or take a couple of weeks."

The Pokémon looked at him with an eyebrow cocked.

"I'm her father first and a doctor second. I know what my little girl needs," he told the Pokémon, folding his arms.

"Anywho, this little Makuhita may very well have saved your life," Birch remarked.

Alexis glanced down at the creature and asked, "How?"

"Well, I-I-I carried you up a smooth part of the cliff. You ain't too heavy. From there, I brought you down to Oldale. Some 'o the people where still outside, and they carried you right over here," Makuhita explained, "I followed," he added, raising a mitt.

Moved by the Pokémon's kindness, Alexis gave him a heartfelt, "Thank you. That's amazing. Man, I wish I had some way to show you how... grateful I am. You saved my life."

"Well, I wasn't just gonna leave a dead woman right in my home," the Pokémon replied. The circles on his face turned an even brighter shade of red.

Birch interjected once again, "I'm going to go downstairs and see if I can file some kind of report. Don't move her," he looked at the Makuhita.

Upon seeing the Pokémon nod, Birch turned and walked out of the room.

"I heard you screamin' at the top of the cliff before ya fell down. I wonder what that guy wanted with you..." the Pokémon speculated.

Alexis clenched her jaw, "Oh, I'm definitely going to find out. And when I do, I will give that man the beating of his life. He won't be able to walk for weeks."

"That...uh... seems a little dangerous, don't you think?" the Pokémon questioned.

"You haven't seen me fight," Alexis replied. Her voice dropped to a murmur, "Plus this gives me another reason to get out of this worthless town."

The Pokémon replied in the same quiet tone, "Well, this town ain't too bad from what I've seen. And why are we whisperin'?"

"This town gets bad after twenty one years of living here," she answered, wrinkling her nose, "We need to stay quiet because my dad gets pissed whenever I talk about leaving home."

The Makuhita paused, trying to think of something to say, "So, when're you leavin'?"

"Soon as I can. Which looks like it's going to be seven months from now," she muttered, "Dammit."

"If you want me to stick around until you're all better, I can. Better than staying under the cliff," the Makuhita offered.

"I'd appreciate that," Alexis agreed and added jokingly, "Maybe you'll come along with me after I leave. Every trainer needs a Pokémon."

"R-r-really? You'd let me do that? You'd let me come along?!" the Pokémon perked up.

"Every trainer needs a Pokémon," she repeated, "You stay for seven months and we'll leave together."

With a wide grin on his face, the Makuhita nodded in agreement and walked closer to the bed. He plopped down next to it and looked up.

"You know, if you're going to come along, you're going to need a name," Alexis noted, her voice returning to normal volume.

"What did ya have in mind?"

After hesitating and thinking about it for several minutes, Alexis spoke up, "I'm thinking Victor. Imagine, Alexis and Victor, the best duo in all of Hoenn!"

"Sounds great!" The Pokémon replied.

With a grunt, Alexis attempted to get more comfortable in her bed, "Christ, this is gonna be a long seven months."

Six weeks had passed since the night Alexis nearly died. She was still bedridden. However, Birch reassured that she was getting better much faster than he expected.

As of now, he was sitting on the edge of Alexis' bed. He had placed a radio some weeks ago on her end table so she wouldn't 'die of boredom'. It hummed some jazz.

"Are those painkillers working, Alexis?" Birch asked.

"Hardly. Still hurts," she muttered, scowling.

"Does it really hurt that much? Do you need me to stay here any longer? Because I need to buy some food from Oldale," the professor said.

"Dad, I'm twenty one and I have a Pokémon with me. I'll be fine. Go do what you need to do," she insisted, "I've dealt with the pain for six weeks. It's not going to get any worse."

Victor, who was standing next to the bed, nodded.

Birch sighed, "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Alright then," he said, "I'll be back before you know it." The man got up, walked outside his daughter's room and down the stairs.

Alexis listened, stretching her neck to hear what was going on downstairs. The door opened and then slammed shut, finishing with the sound of her father locking it.

The duo waited several more minutes. They wanted to make sure Birch wouldn't come rushing in for one last check-in with his daughter.

Enough time had passed for Alexis to feel like they were in the clear. She sighed with relief and beamed at Victor, "C'mon, it's nearly three! The CelesTalk radio show is going to start! Get up and put it on!" she squealed, "It's station twenty point two, I think. Let's see how much we can listen before Dad gets back."

Climbing onto the bed, Victor then crawled onto the end table. He fiddled with the switches and scrolled through the channels until he hit the station Alexis was looking for. He turned the volume way up.

"_Good afternoon, listeners and welcome to CelesTalk. I am Gabrielle Sawyer, and I'm here to share with you vital information for your travels through Hoenn, as a trainer._

_ "Many people leave their home early in life to begin their journey for a better life past the Elite Four, some being reported as young as ten years old. The end to their quest lies past the Elite Four, in a utopia aptly named Celestite,_" the news reporter stated.

_"There are many rumours surrounding Celestite. Only the most truly skilled of all trainers may enter it and they are rarely, if ever, let out. Few have triumphed, hundreds have failed. Celestite has gained the reputation as the only place untouched by the disease that has contaminated our world."_

"In order to reach this safe haven, one must first beat all the strongest trainers in each settlement. Once beaten, you will receive a badge that will act as a form of admittance to the Elite Four. I am here this afternoon to tell you bits of knowledge crucial to your survival in the Hoenn region. While some pieces may be obvious, they should not be overlooked."

"First of all, decide whether it is really worth it to leave your town, to embark on this voyage. You must be aware of how dangerous this will be."

"Be sure to have at least two sets of clothes. One for cold weather and one for hot weather."

_ "Always, always boil your water before drinking. In terms of food, berries are plentiful in Hoenn. Mons, for the most part, are edible, with Magikarp being at the lowest part of the food chain. Avoid eating raw meat at all costs."_

_"Pick a Mon, more commonly known as a Pokémon, hardy enough to last you the years it may take to complete this journey. If you have one solid teammate, others will soon fol-"_

__ They heard the door creak open from downstairs, followed by her father's voice, "Alexis? What are you listening to?"

"Fuck!" Alexis hissed. She glared at Victor, "Shut that thing off!"

Victor grabbed the radio and attempted to hit the off switch. There were downsides to having mittens for hands, it seemed. After several moments struggling with the radio, he managed to turn it off.

Alexis shot him a poisonous look. Her father probably heard the radio blaring, and, if so, an argument was pending.

They heard Birch walk around in the kitchen. Then came the stomping as he made his way up the stairs. Alexis prepared herself for the fight.

Her father stood in the threshold and folded his arms, "What were you listening to?"

"Music," Alexis replied.

"Why would you shut it off?"

"I wanted to hear who was coming in," she answered. She almost impressed herself with this reply. Maybe Birch would buy it.

"Really?" Birch said incredulously and walked towards the radio.

He flicked the switch to turn it on. The broadcast continued, "_And lastly, if you aspire to the Pokémon League Champion, make sure your teammates are varied, well-trained, and able to adapt to any situation, like their trainer should be. Your Pokémon are not your slaves. They are your partners and your friends and should be treated as su-"_

Birch turned off the device. He pursed his lips, scratched his beard and looked at Alexis.

"Why were you listening to CelesTalk again?" he asked.

"Give me a break, Dad. We have this conversation once a week," Alexis groaned, "I'm going to become a trainer."

"Alexis, we already know that you can't walk a hundred feet away from the goddamn house without almost getting killed!" he yelled.

"Well, there's another reason to leave! I'll find the guy and ask him!" the woman shouted back.

"Are you nuts? You're going to give him another chance to kill you?!"

Alexis bit her lip. She struggled to find an answer top his question, but couldn't and instead tried to avoid eye contact with him.

Massaging his temples, the professor spoke up again, "If you leave, you're going to die."

"I might," Alexis conceded, "But it's better than sitting here and... and doing nothing! If I die here, that means I've done absolutely nothing with my life!"

"Now you're talking nonsense! It's safe here! Why are you so bent on leaving?!

"Do you want me to go down the frickin' list?!" Alexis shot back, "I want to leave so I can do something with my life. I want to experience life to its fullest and travel the world. I wanna meet new friends, find every Pokémon, see new things! I wanna go around, help people and make their lives better. Everyone could use a little help, right?" She took a moment to catch her breath.

"But most of all, I want to get to Celestite. I want all my hard work as a trainer to pay off, and I'll be able to live in peace and safety with my team. I can't do any of this in Littleroot. How many times have I explained this to you?" she finally finished.

"Every time you tell me this story you add a new reason and it makes less sense. I can't let you leave," he said, "I'm not going to let you go through with a... a death sentence!"

"So what's the alternative? What am I going to do staying here?" Alexis asked. She would have folded her arms if she could move them.

Birch rolled his eyes, "You stay, and I'll finish teaching you everything I know about medicine. Then you carry on the tradition of being Littleroot and Oldale's physician."

"But why should I just help these two hick towns when I can go all around the world and do the same thing?" she persisted.

"Because you're going to get killed!" Birch repeated.

"I won't," she muttered to herself.

Birch sighed and rubbed his eyes, "I don't have the energy to argue this with you anymore."

"Then don't," Alexis finished.

"Read my lips: You're not leaving," he said. Not wanting to discuss this any further, he turned and walked away, back downstairs.

Still sitting on the end table, Victor cowered and shook, "W-what're we gonna do?"

Glancing at the Makuhita, Alexis sighed and whispered to him, "We have a couple months to think of something."

With that remark, Alexis shut her eyes and tried to get some rest.

Four months had passed since that fateful night. Alexis stood in an empty part of her living room, where a punching bag was hung. Victor gave her some space, but stayed close.

Birch had said some time ago that her bones had mended very quickly, and her recovery was nothing short of miraculous.

It didn't hurt when Alexis moved, breathed, walked or ran. The young woman was good as new.

The late evening was upon them, and the professor had gone out once again to stock up on food from Oldale. The duo was free to train.

Alexis held her fists to her chest and threw the first punch at the ratty, torn punching bag. Then she thrust her other fist at it. She picked up the pace, releasing a barrage of quick, powerful blows onto it. It swung backwards further and further.

Victor stared in awe as she unleashed one final, high kick on the bag. She relaxed her shoulders. She took a step back and the two of them watched the punching bag rock back and forth like a pendulum.

"Not bad, huh? Nothing even hurts," Alexis grinned, "So, you ready for tomorrow?"

"You sure you're okay?" he asked, "I was born ready, you were the one thrown off a cliff."

"Ha-ha, very funny. I've never felt better. Dad took out the X-Ray, everything looks mended. We're ready. All we gotta do is wait."

Victor took a few plain arm thrusts into the bag and looked up at Alexis, expecting praise.

"You can do more than that," she giggled.

She heard the door unlock, revealing her father huffing and puffing, holding several bags. He placed them on the kitchen table and looked at his daughter.

"Jeez, I thought it was going to be too early for you to start kicking the bag again," he panted, "I bought that food you wanted. I never knew you liked energy bars so much."

"I've been eating them to keep me awake in bed for the past couple months. They actually taste good."

"If you say so. A little on the expensive side, but if they make you feel better. Personally, I don't know why you like them over chocolate."

"You're telling me chocolate is cheaper than energy bars?"

"You need to go grocery shopping one of these days," Birch remarked, "I'm getting old, and-,"

"And I'm young and spry. Yeah, I've heard. You're not even that old."

Birch didn't reply, but rolled his eyes and grinned, "Go to bed, Alexis. It's late."

"It's only nine o' clock. I'll just finish up here, run a bath, and go to bed, alright?"

Birch, who was walking to the staircase, leaned on the railing and folded his arms, "And how long will 'finishing up' take?"

"I dunno, like, ten minutes?"

Birch sighed, "Goodnight, Alexis!" And he made his way up the stairs.

Alexis waited until he went up, and began punching the bag again. Her strikes nudged the bag, instead of sending it swinging. She wanted to remain as quiet as possible until she heard her father snoring.

After ten minutes of light punches, Victor looked up at her and whispered, "Y'all wanna go have that bath now?"

Alexis swallowed, listened for movement and then nodded, "I'm gonna go get my clothes upstairs now, so I'll check up on Dad."

Victor bowed his head, and hopped up on the living room sofa, waiting for his trainer to complete her mission.

Creeping up the stairs, Alexis was careful not to step on any creaking spots. She made it to the top, and walked past her father's room, peeking in.

The man lay on his side, covered in blankets and facing away from Alexis. The woman let out a sigh. She walked to her room and opened up her wardrobe.

Her choices of clothes were measly. There weren't many opportunities to buy clothing in Littleroot, because of the price or the lack of them altogether. Alexis figured she had enough clothing for day to day life anyhow.

Clothes were folded on the shelves, and a bag was sitting on the bottommost one. It was large, and meant to be pressed against the hip, hanging from the shoulder. She opened one of the flaps and began to pick out clothes.

She chose a pair of black, light leggings first. Then some beige shorts, and a pair of baggy, black sweatpants. As for shirts, she picked out some tank tops, and short sleeved shirts. Lastly, she stuffed a purple hoodie into the bag.

She picked it up, and weighed it in her arms. A grin curled across her lips. It was much lighter than expected.

Bringing the bag downstairs, her heart soared. The professor was snoring. She almost squealed when she met Victor. She dropped the bag onto the couch.

"Yer too excited about this," Victor sighed, shaking his head.

"What's not to be excited about, man? This is the experience of a lifetime!" she said. She shuffled in her bag for a set of clothes and disappeared into the bathroom.

Victor waggled his legs on the edge of the couch, twiddling his thumbs. He heard splashing from the bathroom. The Makuhita licked his lips and passed the time.

Alexis came out several minutes later. She was dressed in the hoodie and baggie pants.

Her grin seemed plastered to her face as she scavenged her kitchen for water and dry food, including the energy bard her father had bought.

Victor came to help her, opening up drawers and cupboards and putting them in the bag. By the end, the bag was a bulging, heavy mass.

With a swallow and a grinding of teeth, Alexis hung the bag over her shoulder.

"Whew... It's not that bad, I can haul this around pretty well," she stretched her shoulders and patted the sack.

With that, she slumped down on the worn living room couch. Victor crawled up into her arms.

She snuggled him next to her face, "We wake each other up as soon as we see the sun rise."

"I bet you're thankful yer dad's a late sleeper."

"Yeah," Alexis face softened. Her clothes were warm, and served as an excellent blanket.

"Aren't you sad about leaving him? An' ain't he gonna be worried?"

Alexis sucked in air. She thinned her lips, "Of course, I mean... I'll just... just..."

She threw her bag off her and shuffled back into the kitchen, looking for paper and a pen.

Slapping the paper on the kitchen table, she tapped the pen against her lips, thinking of something to leave her father with.

After twenty minutes of thinking, she pressed the pen against the parchment.

"_I'd rather I spend my life making mistakes than spend it doing nothing. I love you, and I'll see you when I'm Champion._

_-Alexis"_

"Cheesy?" the woman asked, showing Victor the paper.

The Makuhita nodded, "Yeah. Short an' sweet too."

Alexis placed the note on the table and flopped back onto the couch. She took a deep breath, "I'm gonna miss that old man."

Victor got comfortable next to her, "Y'all don't need ta leave if it hurts ya that bad."

"I'm not cut out to be a doctor, Vick. I've given a list of reasons for why I can't stay here, and it gets bigger every time I think about it. Trust me, we'll be okay."

She pet her Pokémon's head as she rolled over and tried to fall asleep.


	4. Chapter 4: What Lies West

Alexis' eyes cracked open as the sunlight peeked through the windows of her home. Glancing through the living room window, she saw that the sun was rising. She guessed it to be about six in the morning.

She nudged her Pokémon awake. Victor jolted upright. Then his entire body drooped.

"You ready for this?" Alexis asked one last time.

"How many times I gotta tell ya? I'm ready when you are," Victor lowered himself to the floor and looked up at her.

Alexis grinned and nodded, checking in her bag to make sure she had everything she would need.

_ Water, clothes, food... I think that's all I need,_ Alexis thought. She closed the bag and stood up, stretching her shoulders carrying the bag along with her.

"Alrighty then, Victor," she whispered, "Let's do this!"

With those words spoken, Alexis tiptoed to the door, unlocked it, and pulled it so as not to make a sound.

She could taste the fresh air of Littleroot and feel its coolness through her purple hoodie. Licking her lips, the woman closed the door behind her and turned around to face the settlement she called home.

Littleroot Town was small. It only comprised of ten houses, and the population only counted about forty. This early in the morning, there were few people.

"Yer sure about this?" Victor asked, standing in front of her long, lean legs.

"Never been more sure of anything in my life," Alexis replied, "We're gonna do this, we're gonna make it. I don't have a doubt in my mind," She began to walk north. Victor walked next to her staying perfectly in step.

They arrived to the 'entrance' of the town. It was marked by two large birch trees, both of which had a sign on them that read 'Route 101' in red paint.

Alexis patted the bag at her side and walked into the next route. Route 101 was slightly forested, with large, leafy trees lining the grassy path. There were several ridges on the road that Alexis had tripped over multiple times before.

She took several steps into the tall grass. She heard a low growling below her. She sighed and looked down. It was a little, feral black dog. It bared its teeth at her and snarled loudly. Victor peeked out at it from behind Alexis long legs.

"Don't worry," Alexis chuckled to her Pokémon. She swiftly knelt down and yelped "Boo!"

The black dog recoiled and walked away, rustling through the long grass as it went.

Alexis grinned as she looked at Victor, "If you were actually scared of that, I think we've got a long way to go."

"I wasn't scared!" Victor cried, "I just wanted to see what you were gonna do!"

"Of course, Victor," Alexis cooed as she kept walking up through the tall grass.

Alexis stopped in Oldale town, "Well, that's destination one. Tired yet?"

"We've only been walkin' for a couple minutes!" Victor said.

Oldale town was also tiny, perhaps even smaller than Littleroot. It got little trade with other cities and was forced to make do on its own. They weren't able to make much supplies, but with the Apricorns and berries they reaped from their harvest, they were able to make the bare minimum; Poké Balls and healing items.

Alexis folded her arms and looked around, "I was just checkin'"

Alexis ran her fingers through her curly black hair, before tying it into a makeshift ponytail. She scanned the town for anything of interest. They had a small cluster of trees bearing fruit, a shop and several houses.

Victor tugged her pants, "We should go get some supplies, right?"

"Victor, my friend, that's exactly what I was thinking," the woman replied, walking over to the shop with Victor trailing behind.

It was a poor excuse for a shop. It was made completely of wood. Poke Balls filled one wooden box, and various healing items filled another. A teenage boy rested behind a counter. He had long, greasy black hair, and glasses that seemed to be too small for his face. He looked bored but greeted Alexis with a wave and a smile.

"We're having a special this month," he said, obviously rehearsed, "We give five free Poké Balls and a Potion to inexperienced trainers."

"Oh? And how do you tell if I'm inexperienced?" Alexis said, walking over to the counter and leaning on it, staring at the boy.

"Well, if you're still here, chances are you're inexperienced. No one comes here and the bridge on Route 103 to Mauville screwed itself a couple of months ago. No passage," he explained. He bent under the table and retrieved five Poke Balls and a Potion, placing them on the desk.

"So, you're on the road to the Elite Four, eh? Another one gone," he muttered.

"Oh, screw you, I'll make it, or I'll settle down somewhere nicer than Littleroot," Alexis retorted.

"Yeah, if you even make it past Petalburg," the boy replied.

"Why, what's happening there now? I thought the problems in Petalburg were solved ages ago," Alexis almost shouted.

"Whoa, whoa, don't get so offensive," the boy reassured, backing away, "I'm just sayin' that some time ago, we saw some footprints leading from Route 103, to Oldale, to Route 102, and then all the way back to 103, with more foot prints following. It was really odd," he explained.

Alexis furrowed her brow, "What sort of footprints were these?"

"Human footprints, paw prints and little circular prints. Really suspicious, maybe a group of Morphs just passin' through to Mauville. Of course, they might still be around," he replied.

"Well, with any luck, they left and I won't have to deal with them," the woman said confidentally. She scooped up the supplies and put them in her bag. She marched out went to the outskirts of Oldale town. Considering that the town was so small, it didn't take too long.

"A-Alexis... You're not scared of Morphs, are you?" Victor whimpered, tugging her leg.

"Me? Um... well," she swallowed, "A bit, but they're sort of unavoidable. We can take 'em, right? Why? Are you scared of them?"

Victor looked down in shame and then back up at his trainer. He nodded, "Yeah. They'd come by the cliff every once in a while. I've seen 'em fight with other Pokémon too. Glad I had a river separating us... unless they could swim," he explained.

"What'd you do when they crossed?" Alexis wondered. She'd never heard of Morphs being able to swim before.

"Usually they couldn't. But sometimes they can, for a short while. I'd have to run and hide, until they went back. The cliff's pretty much a dead end for them. Not for me. though..." he attempted to crack a smile, "Alexis?"

"Yeah?" Alexis said, peering at the route in front of them.

"Where did those Morphs come from? What coulda possibly happened that they even exist? What _are_ they?" Victor asked.

Alexis sighed, "I have no clue what these things are exactly, but I'm pretty sure it's the spawn of some kind of disease. My Pops has medical reports of this thing coming up from even way back when his great granddad was around."

"We can talk 'bout yer father later. Cut to the chase," Victor said.

Alexis bit her fingernails, wondering how she would explain this properly, "All I know is that there is a disease that affects everything that's alive. And when this disease gets a hold of them, they start to change. Humans that got infected would start turning into strange creatures. Their skin would start growing patches of fur, feathers, scales, rocks and everything in between."

"Then, as this disease got stronger, they became more primitive. And aggressive. As their condition got worse, they started to attack people. And we thought it'd stop there, but it just got worse. As even more time passed, their bodies changed. And they bred with each other, and their offspring were born with the same defects as the parents. But once the disease had reached its final point, they stopped their little... transformation. And the creatures that were infected suddenly weren't so aggressive. They acted completely normal, as far as normal went. And the creatures that went through the complete 'transformation' are what we know as Mons. In other words, things like you," Alexis finished, hoping Victor understood.

Victor listened intently throughout her speech, although he looked a little confused, "That's where I came from... that's... kinda cool," Victor cleared his throat, "So, if these things completed their transformations, what're these Morph things yer so 'fraid of?"

Alexis paused, "Some infected ones, mostly humans... weren't so lucky. The disease stopped affecting them at some point that wasn't complete. They stayed stuck in a half human, half monster form and stayed feral. I don't even want to describe it, looking at them is just... They're abominations."

"And if you said they infected everything, why're you still here? Why's humanity still here?"

"I don't know how the disease spread. But there were people who were immune to it. And they're the survivors," she cracked a smile, "Is that all you need to know? I'm not some kind of expert here, but I can try. If not, well, we're not gonna get to Celestite just standing here, right?"

"Right," Victor nodded in agreement, his mouth a thin line.

"Great," Alexis brought herself to her full height, six feet and three inches, and marched out of Oldale Town with Victor and onto route 102.

She walked past the water and paused for a moment to look at her reflection. She hoped her tall, muscular body would be able to carry her throughout the region of Hoenn. The region seemed to do a number on even the toughest of trainers. She hoped it didn't show that she'd been staying inside for several months.

_ At least having black skin doesn't mean I can pale too much,_ she thought with a smile.

Her amber eyes turned to Victor as he beckoned her over.

Victor was standing next to a tree, and looked up at what appeared to be a large wad of silk, "Look at that thing, Alex, what is it?"

Alexis walked next to her Pokémon and gazed as well. Her nose wrinkled as she saw a pair of bright blue eyes split open through the silk. Upon closer inspection, she could see a magnificent pattern inside the cocoon, as if the shell was transparent.

The cocoon began to bulge and stretch before it finally ripped open. A black and white insect with gigantic blue eyes exited the shell. It hung upside down on the tree branch flicking its foot-long antennae at Alexis and Victor. It spread its enormous multicoloured wings and flapped them softly.

All of a sudden, it let out a loud hissing sound and began to beat its wings harder. Alexis began to back away before the insect screeched and launched itself off a tree, heading straight for Alexis.

Alexis sidestepped out of the way and the butterfly crashed into what had been standing behind her. It knocked the beast to the ground. The bug's proboscis stiffened and began thrashing away at the foe.

The creature fought back, slashing madly at the insect, cutting its body and wings. The bug beat its wings frantically and let out an ear-splitting screech.

Alexis scooped Victor up in her arms and moved away from the fight, although both kept their eyes glued on them.

Finally, the butterfly plunged its proboscis into the fiend's gullet. It struggled, landing several more hits on the insect, before it began moving more and more sluggishly before it let out a cry and went limp.

The insect looked back at Alexis with its enormous blue eyes.

"Alexis?" Victor whimpered, "Alexis, we should go! Alexis?!"

Alexis' fingers made their way into her pocket and gripped a Poké Ball.

The butterfly flapped its wings and its antennae twitched. Alexis raised her arm over her head and chucked the ball at the insect with all her might.

The ball hit the bug, fell to the ground, and cracked open. The butterfly hissed and beat its wings, raising itself up into the air and charged at Alexis.

Alexis broke into a sprint towards Oldale, hugging her Pokémon close to her chest.

Victor looked over her shoulder as she ran, "Wait! Wait! Look, Alex!" he yelled.

Alexis skidded and turned on her heels just in time to see a red ray swallow up the insect and suck it into the ball. The ball shook once.

Twice.

Thrice.

And it stopped moving with a click.

The duo stared at the ball and then exchanged glances. Alexis slowly approached the ball, bracing herself for the moment when the bug burst out and attacked her next.

She let Victor down next to her and hesitantly gripped the ball. She tossed it up and caught it several times. She let out a sigh of relief and glanced at Victor.

"Let's hope it was going for the Morph and not me..." she muttered with a fake laugh.

Victor wasn't looking at her. He was more concerned with the creature the insect had attacked. Alexis neared the corpse, looking down at it.

It bore resemblance to something that may have been human once upon a time. By the look of its body, it used to be bipedal, but its spine was hunched. Its milky white skin was heavily patched with shaggy brown and cream fur. Its golden eyes were wide open, its claws on its padded fingers and toes must have measured at least half a foot. The beast's face was covered with fur. Its ears looked like a badly mangled mix of human and raccoon's. Judging by its size and shape, the creature was a juvenile male.

It had several large gashes across its face, neck and chest and was stained with blood, although the flow had stopped, even though the body was still so fresh.

Alexis gazed at the deepest gash, in its throat and felt her mouth go dry.

"It sucked out all its fluids," she breathed.

Victor stared at the carcass, "So, these were what you meant when you were talking 'bout Morphs..."

Alexis pressed her hand to her face and wiped off sweat, "Yeah, that's what I meant. Let's get going... I can't stand looking at this. it makes me sick," her voice shook.

Victor gripped her pant leg and pulled it when Alexis hadn't budged. He looked up at her, his mouth slightly agape. She could hear him panting heavily.

"That was just some kinda freak accident. Not all o' Hoenn can be like that. It'll get better," Victor attempted to reassure his trainer.

"How would you know? You lived under a cliff your whole life," Alexis sighed and moved forward, with her Pokémon keeping so close to her leg that they touched.

"Well, we ain't gonna get nowhere bein' pessimistic," Victor replied.

She stayed in the tall grass, behind the cover of the trees, scanning the area around her intently. She crouched down, creeping slowly, making little sound. Victor moved in front of her, staying perfectly in step with his trainer.

Her heart pounded in her head as she made it into shorter grass. This was much more difficult to hide in.

Alexis threw herself on top of Victor, slapping a hand over his mouth. She heard a loud distorted cry, a bird chirp and a snarl, both mixed with the sound of a human's groan.

Her eyes narrowed to make out the movement in front of her. Two fairly large creatures, a little smaller than human sized, had their backs turned to her. One resembled the creature that was sucked dry by the insect. The other was crouching down. Its back was covered in black down, and its legs were yellow and scaly. Both animals clawed at the ground, snarling loudly.

It was then that Alexis heard a loud snap. The feathered animal raised its head and spread its arms. Its hands and underarms were connected with a plumed membrane. She got a good look at its profile. Its lips were stretched into a beak form.

The bird cried out to the other creature. The mammalian one snarled, fell on all fours and bounded off, thankfully away from Alexis.

The bird raised its arms and beat them madly, jumping and kicking its legs. It approached a tree, dug its nails into it and clawed itself up.

Alexis shakily raised her head, trying to see what they had thrashed at.

It was an acorn, about the size and shape of the average human's head. It had been split in two, and a thick, sap-like fluid puddle around its corpse. What horrified Alexis the most were the acorn's human-like eyes staring directly at her.

She felt bile rise into her throat and spat it upon the ground. She could feel Victor shivering at her legs. She rubbed his head and continued walking.

She flinched every time she heard a sound, a rustle in the brush. However, most of the time, it would just be her imagination acting up, or one of those black dogs or raccoons, which quickly fled.

She crept forward, surveying the area. She was too scared to even speak. She walked between a row of trees, looking up to make sure no bird abominations were looking down at her.

Alexis suddenly bumped into something, eliciting a yelp from her and a gasp from Victor. She looked down. She had knocked into a plain, high, metal fence. She followed the fence until she reached a gate. A signpost was placed next to it. It had a floral pattern on it and read:

"Welcome to Petalburg!"


	5. Chapter 5:Where Flowers Once Grew

"I think we're gonna be pretty safe in Petalburg. But... Just in case, you know how to fight, right?" she said, glaring at Victor.

Victor's brow creased, "If yer meanin' to ask me if I can throw a good punch, remember that I carried you up a cliff to Littleroot."

"Just because you're strong, doesn't mean you're brave," Alexis mumbled.

"Well, yer a fine one to talk, I ain't never seen you punch a person."

"We shouldn't try punching anybody except the shithead in the chequered suit. Then we can take it all out on him," she said.

The Pokémon gave her a solemn nod.

"You okay, Victor?"

He didn't reply.

The woman didn't insist any longer. With that, she opened the gates, walked through them and closed it behind her. It led to a passage with trees. They blocked the sun, and it was dreadfully quiet.

She could hear her footsteps rustle in the grass as she walked on the trail with Victor. She took a left and turned to face a high, white wall. She looked on either side, and there was no way to get around it. The wall was covered with overgrown vines, crisscrossing and tangled, with the occasional flower peeking out.

Victor approached the wall, and gave it a soft punch, "Well, dead end, guess we gotta go back!" he yelped.

"Go back? Where those demonic butterflies and morphs are? I'd rather take my chances against whatever's behind this wall," Alexis replied, her brow furrowing as she looked at the wall for a weak point.

"Well, it's pretty obvious why they would create a wall," Alexis added, "But how in the hell do they get in or out?"

She scanned the wall again, craning her neck to look at the very top of it. Sitting at the pinnacle of the white wall was what appeared to be a person.

"Hey, Vick, do you see that up there?" she said, focused on the little person. The figure appeared to be that of a small child. Judging by its long white dress, she assumed it was a little girl.

"Yeah, ain't that... A little human girl or somethin'?" He said, looking at his trainer.

The girl looked down at them. She had bowl cut, green hair and it covered most of her face. That was all Alexis could make out from a distance.

Suddenly, she couldn't move. An unknown force seized her body. She fought and struggled, but it was barely noticeable to her partner to whom she desperately tried to scream for help. The force was so powerful that she couldn't move her eyes. They were focused on one thing; the girl on the wall.

"Alexis!" Victor cried as he laid his eyes on his trainer. Her body was covered in a pink aura. He sprinted over to her, vigorously trying to shake her free, but she wouldn't budge. He punched her legs, gripped them, pulled them and pushed them, but it was futile.

The power pushed Alexis down and forced her to wrap her arms around Victor and pick him up. The Pokémon linked his arms around her neck and began to whimper. He buried his face in the crook of her neck.

Alexis' heart raced even faster once she noticed that she was rising off the ground. She attempted to look down, but couldn't.

She rose higher and higher, squeezing her Pokémon in her arms, until she was able to see over the wall. She felt her jaw drop open and she was able to look around. She snapped her mouth shut, trying to resist screaming for help.

"Your head ain't pink anymore!" Victor yelped, looking up at her face.

Alexis glared at the girl, who was still looking at her, with a smile on her face. Her eyes were covered by her green hair, and she had a red horn coming out from the front and back of her head.

The woman was pushed over the wall, and was able to stare down at the city. She didn't get a nice long look, as the force making her levitate suddenly disappeared. She fell fifteen feet and landed on her belly in soft grass, on top of Victor.

The Pokémon crawled out from under her and began to nudge his trainer, "Are you alright, Alexis?! Speak to me, come on!" he cried, "You survived a fifty foot drop, you can deal with this, can't you?!"

Alexis raised her head and groaned. She brought her hands to her face, and she was able to move her legs, back and hips. Nothing seemed broken. She sat upright, and Victor hugged her side.

She rubbed his head softly and didn't say a word as she scanned her surroundings, the town of Petalburg. The town was small, and it had a dirt path paved to the other side of town, where there was another white wall. It had flowers growing everywhere, and small ponds here and there. There were several large wooden shacks, with the largest, cleanest one situated in the center of town.

From the shacks, she could see heads poking out. The faces of cat-humans, badger-humans, human-monkey mixes, peering out from doors, windows, and behind the walls of these houses.

"A-a-are we gonna be okay, Alexis?" Victor asked. His trainer felt him shiver with fear.

"Remember what I said about punching?" she whispered back.

She heard footsteps behind her and both of them jumped upright, clenching their fists and ready to punch. She felt all the blood leave her face when she saw what had come up from behind her.

It was a beast, standing about seven feet tall. It was brown and furry, and its face looked like a mix between that of an ape's and a human's. It was plump, and its arms were heavily muscled, though not to the extent that a gorilla was. Its strangest feature was the fact that it was wearing a shirt and pants.

"Relax, tenderfoot," it said. From its deep, gravelly voice, she identified it as a male, "You're not outside anymore. You're safe here."

She still held her fists in front of her, "Oh yeah? How can I be so sure?"

"For one, no one's tried to kill you yet," the beast replied.

Alexis scanned the town. All the eyes that were once upon here seemed to have disappeared.

"Really? That little girl at the top of the wall over there definitely tried to!" She nodded her head at the wall, glowering at the girl in white.

The creature cracked a smile, showing his crooked, yellow teeth, "Wally's just doing his job. He plays a little rough. What's your name, tenderfoot? Here for the league challenge, I presume?"

"What do you care?" she hissed.

"I like your defensiveness. That's good. Never let your guard down, and you'll go far. I'm asking because I'm going to find out eventually. There's a gym here, you realize," he said.

"There is? What's a gym doing here? There's no gym leader here! Th-there's no-"

"Another general rule. Never trust appearances, good or bad. I'm the gym leader, Norman," he held out his massive hand.

She unclenched her fist and hesitantly shook it, ready to flip him over should it come to that. He didn't pull any tricks. They began to walk, side by side, to the west side of town.

"Okay... Norman... I'm Alexis Birch. Am I... Am I supposed to battle you?"

Norman gave a hearty laugh, "No, no, you're still much too inexperienced to challenge me. But I will see you again."

"Wait a tick! How are you part of the league? How are you even here? How does this place exist?"

The beast sighed, "It's a long story. I assume you're talking about the disease?"

She nodded.

"The disease didn't turn all animals and humans into complete monsters. Some became stuck in the primitive stages, some completed the transformation and became... things like your little Makuhita," he looked at Victor, "And some ended up like us. Peaceful and human-like temperament, but in appearance, a monster. The disease is kinder to some than to others. Some still resemble humans even after the disease ran its complete course, like Wally. And some will look like me."

Alexis' eyes narrowed. She found it hard to believe, but she did just see a butterfly suck a raccoon-human dry.

"Okay," she said cautiously, "And how does Petalburg exist?"

"This is merely a gathering place for Morphs like myself that wish to live peacefully among their own kind. Petalburg was founded long ago, by a group of traveling Morphs. They settled down here, in what was once a flower-filled clearing, with freshwater ponds. A recipe for an instant town. Any further questions, Alexis?" he said, bored, as if he'd explained this millions of times.

"How are you part of the league?"

"Well, despite being morphs ourselves, we are able to befriend Mons. And we use those to battle. Fortunately, the League Champion doesn't discriminate against any kind of trainer," he replied as they reached the wall. He leaned on it.

"Wait, you know the League Champion?!" she exclaimed, her jaw dropping.

Norman gave a genuine smile, "Yes, but I can't tell you anything about him. League rules."

Alexis paused and tried to think of something else to ask this creature. She had the opportunity to ask this creature anything she wanted, and couldn't think of much.

"About the League... Can you tell me anything about it that I wouldn't know already?" she questioned.

"The Hoenn league does not give any information about any other gyms besides their own."

"Then tell me about your gym," she insisted.

"You'll cross that bridge when you get to it. It'll be a lovely surprise. Is that Makuhita your beginning Pokémon?" Norman stared at Victor, who hid behind his trainer's legs, "Shy little thing. He'll do great against me. If he survives that long."

Victor gasped and whimpered, looking up at his trainer, expecting her to say something.

"Don't you dare say that," she hissed, jabbing a finger at Norman, "Victor _is_ going to survive, he _is_ going to be strong, and when we get to this point, we'll come back here, and Victor is going to kick your ass."

"It seems I've hit a raw nerve," Norman glowered at her, but then smiled, "With a trainer with as much confidence and spunk as you, I'm sure he'll go far, Alexis."

"No-no-no, I'm-I'm sorry for snapping like that," she apologized, although she wasn't sorry in the least. She didn't want to make enemies so soon with a giant ape that could snap her back in a second.

Alexis took her eyes off him for a moment and stared at the wall. This side didn't have a gate either, but had another little girl in a dress. This one paced back and forth at the top, very nervous.

"That thing is going to send us over this wall too?"

"Yes. This one is a little more inexperienced. Our last one... disappeared one night a while ago. You might have a rough landing with this one as well."

Alexis paused, biting her lip. She looked down at Victor and then at Norman.

"Mulling something over?" Norman asked.

"Yeah... you've been kind and helpful enough-"

"You'll find kind and helpful people are hard to meet."

She nodded dismissively, "Yeah, I got that. Do you think I'd be able to make it to Rustboro before night time?"

The beast thought for a moment and shook his head, "You'd never be able to. It's a long trek."

"Well, where am I supposed to spend the night?" she asked, taking a step back, "I need sleep, and I don't plan on passing through anywhere at night!"

"You're welcome to spend the night here. But we don't have any vacant space," he answered, "Perhaps you could sleep outdoors? You'd better get used to it, tenderfoot. You're gonna be doing it a lot."

She clenched her jaw, "Alright," she said cautiously, "I'm fine sleeping on the floor. But how can I trust you? How do I know I you're not planning to attack me?"

"This is a peaceful town. We aren't wild Morphs, out for blood, otherwise we would have attacked you by now."

At this comment, Alexis flinched, but tried her best to remain emotionless.

"So, you can stay within these safe walls, or you can go out with the monsters. What's your answer?"

Victor looked up at his trainer, with his brow furrowed, "Alexis... Let's try to stay safe as long as possible. Please?"


	6. Chapter 6:Aftermath of a Failed Offing

The night had fallen on Petalburg. Alexis thanked the Slaking morph again and again for letting them stay for the night.

They created a small fire pit with rocks, and Victor was now rubbing a stick on another in an attempt to make a spark.

"You haven't talked to me all night, Victor. What's wrong now?"

He sighed, and didn't reply, although he managed to get a small flame on the stick. He gripped one of its ends and tossed it into the pit. He then huddled up against Alexis' side.

The fire quickly spread, engulfing all the dry branches.

"I'm just scared, Alexis."

"Because of what Norman said, right? About you not making it this far?"

Victor's bit his lip and looked down, whimpering. Alexis seized his chin and forced him to look at her.

"Vick, don't you dare believe a word that man says. You and me, we're gonna make it all the way back here, we're gonna rip him an new one, and we're gonna go beat the rest of the league. Don't doubt yourself for a second. If you wanna get there, you gotta believe we're gonna get there first," Alexis reassured him.

"I ain't convinced yet," Victor replied bluntly.

Alexis smiled as she let go of him, "Yeah, I get why you wouldn't be,"She brought her knees up to her chin, and began to play with her hair, "I-I believe we'll be safe."

"You're not sure either?!"

She groaned, "Victor, we're just starting. But we're off to a great start. I mean, come on! We caught a giant butterfly!" She was lying through her teeth, "Listen, man, just believe we can do this. We might lose, that's an option. But we aren't gonna die. I promise."

She stretched her legs out again, and put her bag on her lap. She opened it up and pulled out a graham cookie and an energy bar, "Here, have something to eat. I put this stuff in my bag before we left."

"Well, jeez, Alexis, when did you want to leave in the first place?" Victor said, taking the cookie from her and biting into it.

"I've been wanting to leave since... Since I knew there was a world beyond Littleroot. So let's say eight," she said.

"Why?"

"Littleroot is safe, Victor. It's safe, but that's all it is. It's not the place to get an education, it's not a place to make some cash, and, no matter what my dad implies, it's not the best place in all of Hoenn."

"So, ya left to get a job an' an education?"

Alexis laughed, "Two of many, many reasons. But I didn't bring the cash to go enrol in one of Rustboro's schools. But I could get and education. You learn a lot by meeting different people. I don't think I'll ever have enough money to get to Rustboro, like my dad did."

"So, why did you leave?" He insisted.

"Well, for one thing, good's are real expensive in Littleroot. There's no ports, and the only place we can get food is Oldale. And it's lonely in Littleroot. There's not many people to help in Littleroot. Seriously, my dad has so few patients," She cocked her head to one side, "And there's nothing to learn in Littleroot."

Victor looked up from her, wiping some crumbs off his mouth. This reminded Alexis that she should probably eat the energy bar.

"I didn't leave Littleroot because I hate it. Or because it's boring. Or because it's tiny. I left it because I need to learn. Not a formal education, you can't do much with that today. But I want to learn about the world around me. Like, learn a foolproof way to get away from Morphs, and then we could spread the knowledge around. Or if I can act as an inspiration for someone else, for them to leave their home in hopes of greener pastures. Or if I can just help the people around me. That's why I left home. So we can contribute something useful to the world. I know I said I really wanted to leave so I could get to Celestite, but that's more selfish and not as noble as travelling around to help everyone. Lord knows the people of Hoenn need some help."

"Big dreams for a person born an' raised in Littleroot," Victor said.

Alexis laughed, "Yeah, that's another thing I should talk about. Raised? Sure. Born? Maybe not," she neared the fire pit, and warmed her hands, which had become cold from lying in the dirt.

Victor cocked a brow at her, "Y'all never told me this!"

"Y'see, my dad was born, raised, graduated and married in Rustboro. He went to the college over there, the big one. Devon University, I think that was it."

Victor looked into her eyes. She had piqued his curiosity, "Yer dad was married?"

"Married? Hell yeah. Daddy was married, and he was a doctor too. He decided to move to Littleroot because he had the money to buy whatever they needed and," she made sure the Makuhita was paying attention, "Littleroot would be a safe place to raise his kid."

"He traveled to Littleroot with a pregnant lady?" Victor yelped.

"Yup. She went into labour a couple months after they settled down. Dad said it was late at night. There weren't any hospitals, she had to rely on dad. The baby was a stillborn. And his wife died during childbirth. Dad blames himself for it whenever he brings it up."

"Oh... Uh, my condolences," Victor said briskly.

The duo stayed in silence. Alexis' mind went blank. She had never met her father's wife, but this story always earned a moment of quiet. She nibbled on her energy bar.

"Well, where'd you come from, Alexis?" Victor asked, "You haven't answered that yet."

"We don't know. Dad said he found me one day on his doorstep and took me in. He said he didn't want to live alone for the rest of his life, and thought that taking care of a baby would make up for his... 'incompetence' while his wife gave birth. But for all I know, he lied. I never met his wife. Maybe he was just a sad old man in need of company. He probably banged a chick in town and she didn't want to take care of me," She grinned, "It doesn't matter where we come from, it's what we do in life that matters, right?"

"That's... real strange," Victor murmured.

"It is. But it doesn't really bother me. I got a loving father, a home, and food we could afford. Well, I guess I used to have all that. I'll call him one day when I'm too far away for him to bring me back."

Alexis finished up her makeshift supper and took her bag off her shoulder. She placed it on the ground and lay her head down on it. Victor curled up next to her, and she held him close, as if he was a teddy bear, the duo enjoying the warmth of the fire.

* * *

"Psssst! Vick! It's sunrise! Wake up!"

The Makuhita rubbed his eyes and sat upright. His trainer was crouching next to him. With something new on her shoulder.

It was a little black bird, white bellied, with red accents. It didn't make a sound, and merely stared at Victor.

"What's that thing on your shoulder?" Victor asked, stretching out.

"I have no idea, but I saw it pecking at the fire's ashes. I chucked a ball at it and caught it. Isn't it adorable?" she said, looking at the bird, who looked back at her.

"Uh... I dunno," Victor replied.

"Well, I'm gonna call her Melissa. And I've taken the pleasure of naming our little demon butterfly. Her name's gonna be Sweet Jill," Alexis grinned.

"If y'all start namin' it, yer gonna get attached to it," Victor stood upright and went to his trainer's side, "An' no one wants you to be attached to that thing."

"Well, I'm pretty sure Melissa could take Jill on, now couldn't she?" Alexis cooed, puckering her lips at the bird. Melissa said nothing.

"Well, ain't she a quiet one?" she said, petting the bird's head, "Can you talk to her, Victor?"

"Huh? Sure, I can, but I don't think she talks back," Victor answered. He glared at the swallow-looking bird.

The woman slung her bag's strap back over her shoulder and looked down at Victor, "Our rations are pretty good, and I'd woken up a bit earlier than you, so I boiled some water. We're still doin' pretty good! Now let's go see that little girl thing over there," Alexis marched over towards the west wall.

The Pokémon, or so she assumed, in the white dress appeared to be sleeping.

"Yo! Hey, we need a lift over the wall!" Alexis shouted. The Pokémon shot upright and glared down at her. Its face relaxed quickly when it laid eyes on her. The woman picked her Makuhita up in her arms, and Victor wrapped his own around her neck.

Like the last time, Alexis' body froze and became surrounded with a pink aura. She was pulled up with much more strength than before. She was raised over the wall at a breakneck speed. The Pokémon with the green hair and the white dress then gently let her down on the soft, marshy terrain on the other side, on her two feet.

She could hear it whisper a quiet, "Sorry..."

"Thank you," she yelled back, but not as loudly. She let Victor back onto the ground.

"Well, now that yer done wakin' the dead-" Victor growled. His trainer wasn't even looking at him.

"Wow, Vick, get a load of this place..." she said in awe, looking around.

They were on a small cliff, overlooking the beautiful, blue ocean. They were able to watch the sun rise into the sky on the horizon. A small wooden house floated not too far from shore, with a boat attached to it. A wooden pier led to the floating home. Behind them, however, was a massive forest, mangroves and various other wetland trees grew from the dirt. Fresh Oran berries and various others weighed down the branches. It was incredibly humid, forcing Alexis to take off her hoodie and stuff it in her bag.

"I've... I've been living a walk away from here and I've never realized... I was right near an entire ocean!" Alexis laughed, "This place is so gorgeous!"

Victor looked at her, "Maybe we trailblazers oughta stick to the path. I'd hate fer us ta get lost in this mess."

"Right-o, Victor. Now... The path..." Alexis said, with a determined grin o her face. She scanned the area for signs of a clear dirt road.

"Well, there's a passage through the trees, that counts for something, no?"

The trio walked along the trail. It was silent. Not a tree rustled, and every footstep in the mud corresponded with their own. The only sound was the soft splashing of waves on the cliff.

Alexis gave a small grin. She didn't expect it to be so peaceful here.

"Is there anything around here?" Alexis wondered. Melissa flitted off her shoulder for an instant and before she knew it, was back on with a juicy red insect in its mouth.

"The early bird catches the worm, huh?" Alexis remarked as the bird gulped the worm down whole, "Sounds like a good idea, Mel."

Alexis grabbed a trees branch, and bent it downwards. She picked several Oran berries off the tree and tossed half the bunch to Victor, keeping it the other to herself.

She began biting into the delicious fruit. She looked down at the Makuhita, "You like it?"

Victor nodded, enjoying the Oran fruit, "Yeah, I was just thinkin'... there ain't anythin' here... that's real odd."

Melissa focused her dark eyes on something in the trees, and let out a shrill chirp. She spread her wings and flapped.

"What's up, Melissa?" Alexis asked, following the bird's line of sight. In the trees, she could spot several caterpillars and cocoons, though not nearly as large as the one that had held Sweet Jill. There were several unmoving sloths hanging from the branches, their algae completely camouflaging them in the green of the forest.

"So that's where they all are..." Alexis said, feeling the hairs on the nape of her neck stand up. The bird however, settled down and tweeted calmly.

"Melissa says that they ain't aggressive," Victor informed his trainer.

"Is she sure?" Alexis asked, turning her head to look at the bird. Melissa nodded.

"Let's just be on our guard anyhow. Remember what I said about punching, Vick."

"You didn't say anythin' about punchin'."

"If you ever feel threatened by something, go ahead and punch it. And punch it hard. Punch it so bad that it wouldn't be able to walk anymore. Understand?" Alexis hissed. Her body tensed up and she brought her fists close to her.

Victor tried to pull the same stance she did, and walked alongside her in complete silence.

They did so for hours, on their guard, only stopping to drink and eat some of the low-hanging fruit. It took long for Alexis' patience to wear out. She scanned the forest meticulously.

She suddenly flinched, stopping dead in her tracks.

"I've had enough of your shit! Give me your briefcase now!" A man's snarl echoed through the woods.

"I have nothing of use for you! Get away from me!" another screeched.

"Give me your briefcase or I'll fucking kill you!"

Victor looked up at his trainer, "I know what you're thinking but-"

Alexis' pace instantly picked up, running towards the source of the struggle. She heard a grunt and a scream and went even faster.

"Alexis, you're gonna get yourself killed!" Victor yelled.

She went deeper into the more heavily wooded part of the forest, sneaking through the trees, trying to find the source. Victor, despite his fear, waddled behind.

She heard punches land, and a loud snarling, something not human.

"It's not too late to give me everything in that case! You might still leave this alive!"

The woman finally found the source. It was a tall, muscular man, wearing a blue kerchief around his head and a black and white striped shirt. He held another man, this one in a suit, by the throat, against a tree.

Next to him was a gigantic, black, hairy dog, which snarled and foamed at the mouth.

"N-no!" The man in the suit grunted, "I have nothing for... you." His face quickly paled as he gasped for air.

The dog whirled around and walked towards Alexis' hiding spot, growling and sniffing. It looked at her legs and scanned her body. It let out a loud bark.

Alexis felt her hand descend to her pocket, revealing Sweet Jill's ball. She threw it with all her might and it hit the attacker's back, before falling to the ground.

The red ray quickly formed an enraged butterfly, beating its wings and twitching its antennae angrily.

"What the fuck?" the attacker dropped his victim to look at Sweet Jill.

Jill launched herself at the man, butting him into the tree with surprising force. The dog turned on a dime and sprang onto Jill, biting her wings and bringing her to the ground.

Melissa flew off Alexis' shoulder and began helping the Beautifly in her fight, causing a distraction towards the dog while Jill attacked.

As soon as the attacker started to get up, Alexis burst into attack mode. Her bag was on the ground in a second. She smashed the man into a tree and grabbed his collar.

She raised her hand to punch him, but he caught her fist. For a moment, he got a good look at her face. His jaw dropped in surprise.

She shook her hand out of his grip and swung her knuckles into his face. He let out a cry of pain. He threw a punch at her. Alexis pushed her fist into the crook of his elbow, completely blocking him, and got her other arm under his. She squeezed as hard as she could, and moved her leg between his. She locked hands behind him and was able to flip him straight over her.

Her foe landed to the ground with a thump, and Alexis securely held one of his arms with both of hers.

"If you move, I'll make sure that arm never fucking works again."

The man's face held a look of fear and surprise. He tried to land another punch on her. He landed it on Alexis' torso, but not before the woman pushed down with all her might and heard a satisfying snap.

The man's cries echoed through the forest. She swung one of her legs onto his other side, and pinned his good arm down with her knee.

She unleashed a barrage of punches on him, socking him in every direction. He wasn't capable of any movement, so she glanced over at how her team was doing.

The dog was repeatedly being pecked at, prodded and tackled into submission. Victor had joined the fray, and let loose an onslaught of hits on the canine. When the canine looked as if it was about to recover, Victor let out a cry, and pushed into the dog with as much force as he could muster. He brought the Pokémon to the ground. He pounded the dog with his powerful black fists and kept at it until the dog rolled over.

The wolf lay on its side, in a puddle of its own blood, choking and coughing, until it ceased to move.

In her moment of vulnerability, her attacker picked himself up off the ground, making Alexis fall onto her backside. He gripped her collar with his good hand and banged her into a tree.

Alexis felt her head spin as she hit it against the trunk. The man kneed her in the stomach, and kicked at her legs. With his one good arm, he threw her to the ground, and then pinned her with his legs.

With his one good arm, the attacker wrapped his hand around her throat. He put his full body weight on that arm.

Alexis brought her hands to her neck and pushed with all her might, trying to lighten his grip. The man was heavier than she expected.

She felt her face and lungs sear as the oxygen in her was being used up. All the blood drained from her face and she squeezed her eyes shut.

She began to feel lightheaded, grinding her teeth. She dug her nails into his arms, but did nothing.

"You're supposed to be dead!" he snarled. He looked away from her for a moment, "Oh my god!"

_No! I'm not dying yet! I didn't get thrown off a cliff to get strangled by a random thug!_ she thought, swinging her body from side to side in a last-ditch effort to get him off her.

Sweet Jill launched herself into the man's ribs. He loosened his grip, and the butterfly knocked him over. The assailant rolled over on his side, damaging his already broken arm even further.

Alexis gasped for air as she heard the man scream in pain. She pushed herself off the ground. Panting, she rushed over to the man's side.

She gripped his good forearm, twisted it all the way around and pulled. The man was bent in such a position that it would have been easy to dislocate his other shoulder.

"Yeah? That didn't work out, did it?! Are you gonna fuck off or do you want another broken arm?!" she yelled back.

The assailant's face was sufficiently bloody and filled with tears, "Alright, I won't touch you! Just let me go!" He cried, "I don't want his goods, you crazy bitch, leave me alone!"

He shook Alexis off him with the last of his strength, got up and sprinted off, holding his broken shoulder.

Alexis ran a short while after him, "That's right, run away, ya fuckin' coward!" she yelled as she skidded to a stop.

She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to stop her panting. Massaging her neck, she walked back to the scene of the attack, picking up her bag and stepping over the dog's corpse on the way.

Victor, with Melissa on his shoulder, had approached the business man that was curled up in the dirt. Sweet Jill had made herself comfortable on the man's back. She looked at Alexis and twitched her antennae. Jill then let out a soft purring noise.

"Hey, uh... there's a murderous butterfly on your back, man. Want me to put her away?" Alexis didn't feel that Sweet Jill meant any harm, considering how calm she looked.

"Is he gone?" the businessman asked, unfazed by Sweet Jill.

"You bet your ass he is. Chased him off and broke his arm. And probably crushed his face. You alright, man?" she asked, still trying to catch her breath. The man stood up, forcing Jill to situate herself on Alexis' head.

The business man was covered with mud, but his bruises could still be seen, "I-I think I'm fine. You may very well have saved my life, young lady. Are _you_ alright?"

"Me? I'm great. Almost got strangled to death, but I'm okay. And...um... you're welcome. I wasn't just gonna watch some guy get killed, right? I said I left home to help people, and I guess this was act one. Wish it would have been a little less dangerous."

"Any other person would have just moved on... I need to repay you somehow!" he said. He looked around and found his briefcase. He opened it, and revealed several important-looking documents and Poké Balls.

He handed her a Great Ball and a pile of gold nuggets, "I wish I could pay you more..."

"Hey, this is enough cash to feed my dad and I for a month. This is amazing. I mean... wow. Thank you, I think," She shook her head as she dumped the nuggets and Ball into her bag, " What are you even doing in the forest anyhow?"

"The forest is a relatively safe place. I had to go deliver some goods to the man on the floating house near Petalburg," the man replied, "He'll occasionally do trade in Dewford for us."

"And what'd this guy want?" Alexis said, frankly not caring about the trade.

"I have no idea. I think he wanted something from the briefcase, but I can't imagine what. He seemed to have a bone to pick with you, though."

Alexis heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"Are you alright, Miss?" the man said as he approached her. Victor moved towards her legs and Melissa perched on her shoulder.

"This was the second time someone tried to kill me. The second time," her voice shook. She swallowed

The man looked as petrified as Alexis, "Well..." he hesitated, "We're both alive and safe, aren't we?"

"For the most part..." Alexis said, "Hey, would you be willing to do me a favour?"

"For you? I'd do anything."

"Can you help me get to Rustboro? Are you absolutely sure it's safe in the woods?"

"Not a single Morph between here and Petalburg," the businessman reassured, "And it'll be... perhaps a day's walk to Rustboro. I would be more than willing to escort you there. It would be nice to have a travelling companion."

Alexis nodded, "And you're not gonna try to kill me?"

"If I tried, you could overpower me for a second. Especially with that butterfly. The only Pokémon I have is a Shroomish."

Alexis ignored the last part, not knowing what a Shroomish was. Instead, she looked at her Makuhita.

"You did so great, Victor. I'm so proud of you. All of you. You... you all came through for me. Especially you, Jill," she patted the butterfly's head, "You saved my life."

Victor remained expressionless, "Well, I guess both you and I can throw a punch, hm?"

"What was wrong with the Beautifly?" the man asked.

"Beautifly? You mean Jill? She killed a Morph when she burst out of her cocoon near Oldale."

"Ah. I see. They tend to be very territorial when coming out of their cocoon. I used to own a Wurmple. Although since yours is wild, I could see how she would be even more vicious."

Alexis felt the Beautifly's wings. "Why are we still standing here? Let's get walking and talking. I don't want to spend the night here..."

"Oh, I understand! Come on, let's go, follow me!" the man yelped.

They made small talk for hours and hours, although she felt bad because after she beat the Rustboro gym, she would never meet this man again. However, she appreciated his company.

To Alexis' dismay, they had to spend the night in the forest, with Victor and Alexis taking turns staying up, making sure their travel partner didn't try anything suspicious.

It was dawn the day after when they arrived to the great stone walls of Rustboro.


End file.
